Jagdtiger

Manufacturer: AL.BY Miniatures (Kit #954)

One of the few complaints I have heard about the ESCI Jagdtiger kit is that ESCI didn't extend the length of the King Tiger hull like they were supposed to, when designing the Jagdtiger. The ESCI Jagdtiger is the same length as their King Tiger kit, when in reality, the Jagdtiger was a bit longer than its parent vehicle.

Al.By now produces this Jagdtiger conversion kit. Released before the Revell King Tiger kit hit the shelves, this conversion set is designed to be used with an ESCI (now Italeri) King Tiger, although I imagine that with a little bit of work, this set should work equally well with the new Revell Tiger II.

As you can see in the scan, a new upper hull is the centerpiece of this set. For the most part, it is a copy of the ESCI Jagdtiger hull, but with the significant difference that it has been lengthened a little bit (you can see the difference on the upper front hull, behind the crew hatches).

There has also been a little bit of extra work done on the hull details, with some pioneer tools added, bolt holes, and turret accoutrements all enhanced to a certain degree. Also included are a new gun of the correct length, hatches detailed inside and out, a gun barrel travel lock in two positions, and miscellaneous details, like periscope covers. There are some etched brass parts for the engine deck screens and muffler shields.

In order to use this set, a portion of the ESCI lower hull will need to be cut away, including the idler wheel mounts. This has the effect of lengthening the lower chassis towards the rear, which of course means that the tracks included in the ESCI kit will no longer be long enough. That is why additional track segments have been provided here. It is unfortunate that Al.By didn't take the time to completely redo the entire tracks, and include them in this set. It would have made the kit unbeatable, because as of now, the ESCI tracks are pretty poor.

Despite the track deficiency, this is an outstanding set, and necessary if you want to build a completely accurate Jagdtiger.